How the police was bullying the squatters for an hour – statement [EN-PL-ES] #PustotanyWręceMieszkańców

[EN]

Moment of the arrest

Beating, tugging, threats – such was the intervention of the police in front of the new squat “Gromada” at Worcella St. 8 in Krakow. The officers also took care of the destruction of the evidence – the victims had their memory card in the camera and the mobile sim cards damaged.

Opening of the squat was held on Friday evening – the atmosphere was picnic, the guests could try some vegan pastries and listen to SambaKA [rhythms of resistance]. The neighbors have enthusiastically embraced the new initiative. The police arrived at the venue only to collect a few participants’ data and then drove away.

It looked quite different on the Saturday afternoon – short after 5 p.m. a police patrol arrived at the squat. Two people [from the squat] who were just out started talking with the officers, recording everything with mobile phone. The first reaction of the police was to take their mobiles “to verify if they were not stolen.” When one of the squatters began to record with a camera, the most aggressive of the officers attacked him with his fists. The rest of the officers joined in and after a while of beating and kicking they put the two people in handcuffs. Later on, it only got worse. For the next hour the police mistreated them (the squatters still being handcuffed!) – they twisted their arms, kicked, pushed, threatened to “beat them f**kin’ up” or to “drive them out to the woods”. In the meantime they were trying to agree in their own story of what happend. After the squatters were released, they’ve found out that the two phones that the police took “to have them checked” had the sim cards broken and the camera’s memory card had been damaged. Did the police fear their contents?

This is just one of many examples of police violence with which we deal in our city. Bullying, humiliation and ill-treatment of people is the norm. But why are so few similar cases revealed to the public? Police uses the possibility to charge somebody for “assault” as a guarantee of their impunity. As soon as someone would try to seek justice, can be accused of that. And who would the court believe? One victim’s consistent testimony or the one of several police officers?

We can not remain silent – it encourages the police to this kind of practice.

Tomorrow we are going to give notice to the public prosecutor for criminal offenses by the police.